The proportion of truck drivers who reported having had sex with regular partners only during the preceding year was highest in West zone (71%) and lowest in North zone (42%). Sixty-five percent truck drivers in East zone, 70% in South zone, 43% in Central zone and 53% in North-East zone had given similar response. Up to 10% truck drivers in all the zones had said that they had sex with commercial or non-regular partners only during the same period.
Number of commercial sexual partners during the preceding year: The median number of commercial sex partners as reported by the truck drivers was highest in East zone (5) and lowest in North and West zones (2). Majority of the truck drivers who had said that they had sex with FSWs during the preceding year had said that they had up to 5 different partners. Thirty-seven percent truck drivers in North zone had reported having had only one commercial partner during the same period. Twenty-six percent truck drivers from South zone had stated that they had 6-10 different partners, which was higher than the proportion of truck drivers from other zones (Table 6).
Table 6: Number of different commercial sex partners among truck drivers in various zones
No. of different % of respondents among truck drivers in various zones
| commercial sex partners |
North |
|
East |
|
West |
|
South |
|
Central |
|
North-East |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
37 |
|
12 |
|
24 |
|
13 |
|
17 |
|
19 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2-3 |
25 |
|
19 |
|
31 |
|
28 |
|
28 |
|
39 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 4-5 |
13 |
|
17 |
|
10 |
|
12 |
|
17 |
|
18 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 6-10 |
12 |
|
23 |
|
18 |
|
26 |
|
25 |
|
20 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 11-20 |
5 |
|
17 |
|
10 |
|
11 |
|
10 |
|
2 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| More than 20 |
2 |
|
12 |
|
7 |
|
10 |
|
21 |
|
1 |
|
Number of non-regular partners during the preceding year: The proportion of truck drivers who had said that they had only one non-regular partner during the preceding year ranged from 69% in the West zone to 76% in the East zone. Up to 15% of them in each region had reported having more than three different non-regular partners.
Condom use with commercial sexual partners
Of the truck drivers who had reported having sex with a FSWs during the preceding year, the proportion of who never used a condom ranged from 33% in the North-East zone to 10% in Central zone. More than half the respondents from West, South and Central zones had said that they had used condoms for each sex with FSWs (Table 7).
Table 7: Reported condom use during commercial sex in the preceding year among truck drivers from various zones
Frequency of condom % of respondents among truck drivers in various zones
| use during last year |
North |
|
East |
|
West |
|
South |
|
Central |
|
North-East |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Every time |
46 |
|
27 |
|
52 |
|
59 |
|
58 |
|
18 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Most times |
27 |
|
12 |
|
5 |
|
11 |
|
25 |
|
26 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Some times |
11 |
|
32 |
|
19 |
|
8 |
|
7 |
|
23 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Never |
16 |
|
29 |
|
22 |
|
21 |
|
10 |
|
33 |
|
The reported condom use during the last sex with a commercial partner was higher than the proportion who had said that they had used condoms during every sex with a FSWs in the preceding year. It was least (45%) in East and North-East zones and highest (85%) in Central zone. The proportions of truck drivers who had said that they had used condoms during their last commercial sex in other zones were 75% in the North, 67% in the West and 76% in the South.
Condom use with non-regular partners
The proportion of truck drivers who had said that they had used condoms during every sex with the non-regular partners during the preceding year was least (8%) in North-East zone and highest (27%) in East and Central zones. The proportion of respondents who had said that they had never used condoms during sex with non-regular partners in the preceding year ranged from 40% in Central zone to 58% in South zone. Fifty-seven percent truck drivers from North-East zone had also given a similar response.
Reported condom use during the last sex with a non-regular partner was 33% each in North and West zones, 43% in East zone, 31% in South zone, 53% in Central zone and 18% in North-East zone.
Knowledge indicators
Almost all (99%) respondents from West, South and Central Zones, and 97% respondents from North zone had said that they had heard about HIV. The awareness about STIs was however lower in all the regions. It ranged from 93% in Central zone to 64% in North East zone (Figure 6).
The knowledge that consistent condom use prevented HIV infection was lower in East (54%) and North-East zones (50%) as compared to other regions. It was highest in Central zone (86%).
Other findings
Alcohol and drug use
The proportion of truck drivers who had said that they had consumed alcohol during the month before the survey was highest in North-East zone (79%) and least in South zone (40%). Daily consumption of alcohol was reported by 35% truck drives in North-East zone, 20% in East zone, 18% in North zone, 15% in Central zone, 9% in West zone and 5% in South zone.
